The Origins of Sociology

FK8R 34 Sociology A Introduction to Sociology Alisha Walsh In the mid(prenominal) 1800s, French author Auguste Comte came up with the term sociology. Although previous philosophers, historians and political thinkers had study and tried to baffle sense of their societies, this was when it began to develop as a classifiable wisdom. Comte grew up in a time of great loving and political upheaval. As the world rapidly changed, he and others began to study the societies they merryd in.He sought to reach a science of society that could let off the laws of the brotherly world in effect(p) as science explained the run of the physical world. (Giddens 200611) Throughout the eighteenth and nineteenth century political revolutions occurring finishedout Europe, the Enlightenment and the Industrial rotation each(prenominal) lead to previously unseen changes in many societies. The French Revolution of 1789 meant that monarchs of Europe came under severe scrutiny. Subjects began to questi on their divine right to rule.Ideas of individuals rights and their plead in how society was run emerged. Political parties and mixer reform right away followed. Great scientific discoveries formed a perspective of looking to science and reason to answer questions about the natural and affable world. People were turning away from the church, religion and superstition for these answers. The Industrial Revolution 1780-1800 had a ambiguous effect on Britain and laterally Europe. Almost all aspects of life were changed as people became part of the factory system.People moved from rural areas and agricultural jobs to towns where societal life was more im in-person and anonymous. They began to work by a quantify instead of the rhythms of the season. Traditional values and roles were dropped as new whizzs evolved. To study Sociology, one must have what C. Wright Mills called a sociological idea. sociological thinking and imagination requires us to remove ourselves from our everyd ay lives and experience, and look at them differently. Only then bath we find out that individual experience layabout actually reflect larger issues.He emphasised the difference between personal troubles of millue and public issues of hearty structure(Mills 2000 5) This means that the sociological imagination allows us to see that public issues much(prenominal) as war, marriage, the economy, urbanisation etc, can feign the individual as well as personal circumstance and experiences. The sociological imagination enables us to grasp history and biography and the notifications between the two. That is its task and its promise. (Mills 20002) He stated that sociologists must ask three critical questions What is the structure of this particular society?Where does this society stand in human race history? What varieties of men and women prevail in this society and in the culmination period? (Mills 2003) He believed that as individuals these questions would help us make sense of o ur own place and experience in the society we live in and identify its structures and characteristics. He similarly stated that they are the questions needfully raised by any mind possessing the sociological imagination. For that imagination is the condenser to shift form one perspective to another.The sociological imagination allows us to be analytical and critical of the world and to look at the bigger picture. There are many sociological theories which attempt to explain how society works. They provide a framework for explaining social behaviour. They find the relation between individuals, groups and society. These theories can be enthrone into two broad categories, macro instruction theories and micro theories. Macro theories such as Functionalism and Marxism look to explaining behaviour by the notion of social structures and look at society holistically.Macro theories tend to engross quantitive research when a social opening or model is world explored. Data has to be m easurable and proccessed mathematically (surveys) to provide unbiased end points that can be measured, compared and related to large parts of society (Amit B. Marvasti 20047). Micro theories such as social body process and symbolic inter run look at individual behaviour and how small home plate interactions circumstance society. Micro theories theatrical role qualitive research methods, concentrating on smaller groups precisely providing more detailed psychoanalysis and descriptions of human experience.The experiment can be based around a theory and results are recorded as detailed, narrative descriptions as irrelevant to numerical codes assemble in quantitive research (Amit B. Mavasti 200410) Functionalism analyses how social structures explain behaviour. interdependent parts of society have to function together to create a whole system. Biological or mechanical analogies are often utilise. Functionalism emphasises integration, harmoniousness, perceptual constancy and c ontinuity. It is a positive perspective that views even tragedies or inequality as serving a function in society. McClelland20011) It looks at society as a whole and is good at explaining the persistence of social phenomena (anomie). Marxism to a fault focuses on social structures but is a impinge theory. Society is make up of infrastructure and superstructure. This structure is based on the inequality of dispersal of production and causes conflict. It recognises different power interests in groups and is good at explaining conflict and change ( SparkNotes Editors 2006). hearty Action theory emphasises the intentional behaviour of individuals as the cause of social structure.Individuals shape society as a result of intentional individual or group interaction. It concentrates on the meaning of social behaviour and its depictation by others and is good at explaining small scale interactions. tally to Anthony Giddens , good sociology must examine both social structures and social interactions. It is how a fuller understanding of social life is achieved (Giddens200525). Socialization, Social station and Social Stratification are three key concepts in sociology that estimate to explain the relationship between the individual and society.Social coif is the way in which societies basic requirements are met to exist, how peace and order is keep oned. It is obtained formally through laws and through the use of social norms, roles and values. It involves a set of linked structures, institutions and practices that can maintain and enforce conformity and social order (Dr Almog 1998). Functionalist theory views individuals as alter to social order by happily playing out their occupy roles within social institutions. These roles are guided by the norms and values we regulate through socialization and are necessary for society to function (Dr Almog 1998).Marxist theory claims that social order is forced on the individual, norms and values are used by institutions that want to maintain capitalism. They are a way to keep in line the working class (Giddens 2006 301-302). Social Action theory sees social order as a product of social interactions, symbolic meanings and how they are see by others. The individual is a social actor who will interpret and solve social stimuli and makes choices accordingly. Socialization is a lifelong chequering process and plays a crucial part in forming our identities. It is the process by which individuals learn the culture of their society (Haralambos & antiophthalmic factor Holborn 20083). The weighty stage of socialization occurs during infancy. The tiddler learns many basic behaviour patterns of its society by responding to the approval or disapproval of their parents and also by copying their example. In western societies, the schoolingal system, religion, the mass media, the occupational group and peer groups are also important in the socialisation process ( Haralambos & Holbor20083).Functionalist theory believes that socialisation reinforces the social structure and maintains society. That it is functional and beneficial to social order. It transfers culture, norms and values to new generations and integrates individuals into society. It is the social glue that holds society together and helps create a sense of harmony and cooperation (Kent McClelland 2001). Marxism sees socialization as one of the most effective tools of the Bourgeoisie.It legitimises existing social inequalities and prepares the individual for a class related role they will submit indefinitely (SparkNotes Editors 2006). Social Action theory believes socialization is relevant in relation to symbols and their interpretation, the development of social identity and the small scale interactions that shape it. Socialisation helps maintain social order (Cardiff University 2010). Social Stratification is the rank and ordering of individuals within a society. It is a structured hierarchy which leads to divisions a nd high status, wealth and privilege for roughly groups.Social class is the stratification system found in modern industrial societies like the UK, but it can also occur due to other attributes such as gender, age, religious education or military rank (Giddens 2006295) Members of a particular strata will cover a similar lifestyle and common identity which will to some extent distinguish them from members of other social strata (H & H 200819) A functionalist perspective of social stratification is that it is based on meritocracy and is therefore an undeniable part of all societies.Talcott Parsons believed that social stratifications are a basic looking at of shared values which are an essential part of a functioning society. Social stratification is functional because it integrates various groups in society (H& H200821) Marxism regards stratification as a divisive structure rather than an merged one. It is seen as a mechanism for the ruling class to exploit the put down class, rather than a means of furthering collective goals (H & H 200827). divers(a) institutions such as legal and political systems are used to triumph the subject class resulting in conflict (H & H 200828).Social action theory focuses on how a persons social standing affects their everyday interactions. According to Max Webber, social stratification not only involves class but also status and party (social status and political power) (Giddens 2006302-303). Social action theory studies the processes behind stereotypes, mixed interactions and labelling. Its notes how stratification is a way to put people in groups and questions how much power individuals in these groups have to realise their goals (Cardiff University 2010) ReferencesHaralambos & Holborn (2008) Sociology Themes and Perspectives , 7th Edition, London, Harper Collins Anthony Giddens (2006) Sociology, 5th Edition, Cambridge, Polity offer Amit B. Mavasti (2004) Qualititive Research in Sociology, London, Sage Publications Ltd C. Wright Mills (2000) The Sociological Imagination, 40th Edition, innovative York , Oxford University Press Inc World Wide Web Page Kent McClelland, Grinnel College 2001 Functionalism (Online) Available web. grinnel. edu/courses/soc/s00/soc111-01/IntroTheories/Functionalism. tml SparkNotes Editors 2006 Sparknote on Sociology Major Figures (Online) Available http//www. sparknotes. com/sociology/major-figures/ (Acceseed 31 October 2012) Dr Oz Almog, Electronic Journal of Sociology 1998 The Problem of Social Type A Review (Online) Availablewww. sociology. org/content/vol003. 004/almog. html (Accessed 31 October 2012) Angus Bancroft and Sionead Rogers, Cardiff University 2010 Max Weber-Natural Science, Social Science and Value Relevance (Online) http//www. cf. ac. uk/socsi/undergraduate/introsoc/weber6. html